Xom

Encyclopedia

Few are so foolish as to be a cultist of ><0|V|.

Their fate is either to be envied or pitied.

Whim of Xom

"><0|V| desires what ><0|V| desires."

Starting Equipment

One Completely Random Weapon.
One Completely Random Armour.
One Random Skillbook.
One Random Spellbook.
One Random Bonus Item! (10% chance of a second random bonus item)

Gaining and Losing Piety

><0|V| has no rules for gaining and losing piety of his own, but instead shifts from mood to mood, mimicking the other deities. One exception: If ><0|V| is mimicking Pax, he will assess his own 2-point penalty for breaking something. (Apparently, only arrows and potions can break). Xom's moods can be very erratic: The "timer" for a mood starts from 100 to 200, but counts down on a 1 in 80 chance each turn.

When you start a new game as a cultist, when you gain a level in cultist, load a game where you're a cultist, or whenever ><0|V|'s whim changes, you'll see a message telling you what he wants. This message doesn't tell you exactly what god he's mimicking, however if you know the messages, you'll know who he's mimicking:

• Klaskov: "><0|V| yearns for metal crashing on metal."
  
• Belweir: "><0|V| would like to see some parlour tricks."
  
• Quizar: "><0|V| hides his desires from you."
  
• Tlosh: "><0|V| wishes for death and decay."
  
• H'ruth: "><0|V| thirsts for BLOOD!"
  
• Pax: "><0|V| wants you to stop breaking things."
  

Dress Code

><0|V| does not have a dress code of his own. However, you will gain piety with ><0|V| if you match the dress code of the deity he's mimicking.

Level-Up Bonuses

><0|V| will never grant you skills or spells. However, at each level the character will gain 0-2 hit dice, 0-2 magic dice, 0-40 hit points and 0-40 magic points. Specifically, for each of physical and magic dice, you'll get d5-1 half-dice, then a flat roll of 1d(10×halfdice)-1 points to increase maximum HP or mana respectively. (Compare to the usual 2d2+1 per half-die.) This leaves potential for very powerful or very weak characters. It's all up to chance. Note that long-term, Xom averages 2 dice per level, (matching H'ruth and Pax) and more than usual points, but your results can be very far from average....

Boons (Rewards)

• Cure Avatar - 20 points
• Heal Avatar - 20 points
• Sanctify - 20 points
• Uncurse Item - 20 points
• Unstone Avatar - 20 points
• Lich Form - 150 points
• Enchant Armor - 200 points
• Enchant Weapon - 200 points
• Gift Armour - 200 points
• Gift Weapon - 200 points
• Grant Spell - 200 points
• Smite Enemies - 200 points

Punishments

• Curse Any Item - 20 points
• Mana Drain - 30 points
• Curse Worn Item - 50 points
• Sleep Avatar - 50 points
• Flamestrike - 100 points
• Paralyse Avatar - 100 points
• Poison Avatar - 100 points
• Polymorph Avatar - 100 points
• Disenchant Armor - 100 points
• Disenchant Weapon - 100 points
• Creature Summon - 50 points
• Polymorph Weapon - 200 points

Tips and Tricks

• Xom is a difficult deity to follow, because his moods constantly shift. The player is constantly at the mercy of the RNG, but the rewards can be great.
• Note that Xom's moods continue to shift all the time, but you only get informed of the changes, if you're following him. Accordingly,even when following other gods, you'll take punishments or even boons from him. You'll occasionally build up piety with him... only to promptly transgress his shifting will, and either get smited or lose piety for a rescue. (Xom can rescue you from other gods too.)
  • As you might expect, the biggest issue is having to switch gears (perhaps hastily) when his mood shifts to a god with a prohibition: Tlosh (no Healing magic), Pax (no Death magic), or H'ruth (no magic at all). It's very easy to slip and commit a Transgression against Xom's mood of the moment. Racking up doubled penalties (say, for spellcasting in Klaskov mood, or being surrounded in Belweir mood) can also trash your piety in a hurry.
  • There's also the point that you'll probably want to change back to other gods eventually, so you might find yourself trying to keep, say, H'ruth-mood and Pax happy at the same time. You might want to try and drain Xom's piety before switching away....
  • On the flip side, Xom can provide most of the Boons, especially blessing your water. (Xom does not gift books, staves, or wands, nor identify items.)
  • If luck is on your side, you'll find yourself with major boosts to HP and/or MP... or they might stagnate. Multiple levels with Xom might even things out, or not.
  • Likewise for skill or spell slots... and note again that Xom not only doesn't gift books, he doesn't give spells or skills either, so you might well find yourself with more slots than useful books.
• If you forget Xom's current whim, save the game and reload. Xom's current whim is reported upon loading a game, so this can be used to remind you.
• Be careful if you see the message '><0|V| laughs', that means out of depth monsters may spawn when they would normally be rejected by being too high of a level. This can be dangerous.
• Only Xom is weird enough to polymorph your weapon.